In Secret, In Silence
by Sunahu
Summary: Reposted, explanation inside. How can someone ever know the full truth to what is told? Ino has always questioned this, but this question has never seemed so true until she comes across people that just can't be human, and the choice of a lifetime. NxIxS
1. Chapter 1

**R&R**

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><p><strong>In Secret, In Silence<strong>

**Important Author's Note:** Okay, so before you jump to conclusions and think that I stole this from (insert x's)IgnoranceIsBliss(insert x's), let me tell you _that_ my friends, is an old account of mine. An account, may I add, that I lost the login information too. I vaguely remember changing the email address, and since I can't remember what the new email was, I lost my ability to log in. Sooo, I couldn't continue this story properly! To be honest, I kind of forgot about it until recently, the reason I decided to repost it on this account. I hope I don't get any doubts or angry people at me. Really, this is completely my story. I promise.

**Summary:** AU. How can someone ever know the full truth to what is told? Ino has always questioned this, but this question has never seemed so true until she comes across people that just can't be human, and the choice of a lifetime. SasuxInoxNeji

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing of Naruto, but I do own this plot(really).

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><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

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><p>Ino Yamanaka had always known better than to believe everything she was told, for she knew there was always a twist to the truth. The only truth she could believe, was the one she was to create, and even then there might be holes she had not meant to create, holes placed by the twists of what she thought she knew, or rather, didn't know.<p>

To some, this might seem mind boggling, but today, her philosophy had been proven clear.

Head pounding, she looked up through blurred eyes at the tan walls surrounding her and groaned as she struggled to move from her awkward position on the cold elevator floor. She was alone, and she was glad for it. She wasn't sure what was going on, and her mind struggled to piece together what the hell had just happened. All she knew was that _something_ was out there, _something_ not human. If she were any other person, she would be freaking out right about now, but she knew better than to doubt the truth of what she had just seen. They looked human, sure, but they moved with inhuman abilities. No one could possibly move so fast undetected by the naked eye, no one could burst through walls by simply placing their hand on it. This just couldn't be possible.

Yet she knew better than to doubt the reality of it. Standing up, she looked at herself to check for any major injuries, and was relieved when she found none. She looked around, not sure how she would get out of this predicament.

She held in a scream that threatened to escape her throat as she felt the elevator shake from the impact of something falling on top of it. She was aware of the fast pace her heart begun to race in anticipation, and could feel the sweat on her hands from where she was tightly grasping the bar inside the elevator. She was trapped. Trapped like an animal in a cage with nowhere to go. Nowhere to go but up, and that was where the hunter was.

Unconsciously, she pressed herself tightly against the wall of the elevator as she heard the person above move. Thankfully this elevator had no emergency opening in the top, and she hoped it was enough to keep whoever was up there away from her. Whoever they were, they could not be a good thing, not after what she had seen earlier before.

She gasped when she saw a weapon thrust straight through the metal of the elevator, and cleanly cut away a circle enough for a a person or two to fit through. The metal fell to the floor with a loud clank and she wasn't sure if she should get ready to scream and put up a fight, or get ready to die.

A wave of anger suddenly ripped through her. Screw this! If she was going to die, she was not going to go easily. She tensed for what was to come, and watched with a frown as a figure gracefully slipped through the hole and landed on one knee. The first thing she noticed was the long dark hair, but it was no female, the broad shoulders she could she under the pale long-sleeved shirt showed her that. The male looked up to show pale gray eyes that she had never seen before, and they made her breath catch. On his forehead was a sort of metallic headband with symbol etched in the center. I seemed oddly familiar...

Before she could try to place why that was, the male stood and looked over the blond girl in front of him. He said nothing and instead placed a finger to his ear where she saw an ear piece neatly tucked in.

"I have located the girl in the elevator. She is unharmed from what I can see," his voice was purely calm and collected, and she could see this man had placed a mask of cold indifference on his person, a sign that he had seen much in his life. He seemed to be listening from the other end.

"Affirmative. I will proceed," he looked over at the girl once more and saw the fear and awareness in her eyes.

"I won't hurt you, but I must ask you to come with me. I will make sure you get out of here safely," he saw the hesitation in her eyes, "If you do not come with me, someone else might kill you."

Her eyes narrowed.

"How do I know you're telling the truth?"

Ino knew that he could be telling the truth as easily as it could be a lie. She could take his offer, and maybe he would be the hero, or he could be the villain. She could could also refuse, and take her chances, wait until the police arrived and get her out of here, or be killed if what this guy was saying was the truth. She received no answer however, as it seemed he was once again contacted by whoever else was communicating with him. She froze as his gray eyes fixed on hers.

"Forgive me, but there is no time," before she could say anything she found herself snatched from her place against the wall and pressed against his hard body as he quickly jumped back out from the hole he had created. Before she knew it this guy was easily jumping from wall to wall up the dark elevator shaft with incredible speed and agility until they reached the blown up elevator doors to what she guessed was the fourteenth floor of this building.

It was incredible, that a human could have such abilities. If he was even human that is. She had no time to dwell on the thought as she was brought back to the reality of the situation when she noticed they were surrounded by half a dozen male forms, all armed with some sort of knife weapon she had seen the guy who got her from the elevator make the hole with. They all wore the same outfit, what looked like a skintight black layer under a gray robes tied around the waist. Black ski masks hid everything but their eyes and they too adorned a metallic headband on their foreheads, only the symbol etched in the center was of a music note.

She took this in as she was gently placed on her feet by the male, only to be quickly pushed behind him.

"Stay here," he commanded as he drew his knife. Suddenly she felt as if an invisible force of power went right through her, and she saw the long-haired male rush towards the group of guys. Her eyes widened as she thought it was the end of this guy, only to be amazed further as he gracefully handled the knife in his hand as well as his body to fight those men. He seemed to be using a form of fighting style she did not recognize, where he only had to place a palm to the chest of his opponents to render them either immobile, or dead as they fell to the ground. He also used his knife to slice through their bodies and kill them off and within minutes no one but the pale-eyed man was standing, untouched from what she could see.

She wasn't sure if the men he killed were good or bad, doubt about that man still present in her mind. However, as she felt movement behind her, she once again froze when she felt the cool metal of a gun being placed against her temple. She noticed the long-haired male calmly turn around and she gasped. In his quick and fluid movements she had not seen it, but now, she could easily make out veins now surrounding the male's pale eyes in an unnatural way as he glared at her captor. Just what was he?

"Don't move, or I will kill the girl," her captor spoke, she could tell this guy was not very confident in himself, for he sounded more scared than anything else, still it did not make her feel any better as the gun was held tighter to her head causing her to wince.

"You know where he is! We want him back, so tell me!" her captor demanded, though she had no idea what he was talking about. She squirmed in his grasp, wanting to vent out and just yell at this guy, using her as a victim when she didn't even know what the hell was going on here, but she couldn't, not when a gun was placed against her face.

"What makes you think I would tell you? Or anyone else for that matter. He has all the information we need to bring all of you down. I suggest you let go of the girl, and walk away safely, or I will not hesitate to kill you, even if you kill the girl," Ino could not help the pang of fear that hit her chest at the sound of those words. Would he honestly let her die? Wasn't he supposed to be the hero who kept her from death? Ok, so she had doubted him before, but from this point of view, he seemed to be the good guy.

She felt the grasp of her captor tighten around her as he begun walking backwards.

"This isn't over," she heard him say, "We'll get him back."

"Catch," he said as he jumped into the elevator shaft, dropping her into thin air while he used his inhuman abilities to jump up higher. Her eyes widened as she felt nothing beneath her feet but air, a scream ripping from her throat. She caught a flash of black and white before she closed her eyes, waiting for what might be the final pain she ever felt.

It didn't come, instead she once again felt a tight embrace and a soft thud as they landed on the elevator below. She opened her eyes to see his cold gray ones looking back.

"Oh god," she said, gasping for breath and hoping her racing heart would calm, "that was a close one."

He did not reply, only looked up and once again jumped up to the same floor where the dead bodies remained. He placed her on the ground and looked to the left and right.

"This way," he said as he ran to the left. He once again saw her hesitate but saw with satisfaction as she followed close behind. The lights had long gone out, and she could just barely make out the cubicles that littered the floor. She knew her own was only two floors below.

"Where exactly do you plan on going?" he heard her demand. He guessed she did not like the idea of following him somewhere she wasn't sure of, but he had no time to indulge her with an answer as his mind worked to formulate a plan to escape the pursuers he knew were heading their way.

"Hey! Did you hear me? Goddamn it!" he hear her mutter the last part and stop in her tracks. He stopped and spun around with a frown.

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what the hell is going on and where you plan on going! The stairs were the other way and I'm pretty sure the only way out is heading down," her hands were on her hips and her blue eyes shone with defiance and anger.

"There's no time, more are heading this way," he saw the anger and defiance falter and fear take its place as she looked behind her before looking back at him, a suspicious look on her face.

"And how do you know that?" he did not answer as he saw movement once again behind her. He prepared his body to dash forward and come to her aid when she surprised him, ducking down to avoid the slash of the knife headed her way and instead kick his feet from under him, causing the man to fall down and the knife to clatter harmlessly to the floor. She didn't hesitate to grab it and begin running once again before the man had the chance to get up.

"Ok so maybe you're right, lets run!" he followed her down the hallway until they came to an open area which looked like a lobby. He saw the emergency stairs heading up and motioned to them.

"This way," he said and this time she did not hesitate in following him. He did not stop running, even as he heard the girl panting for breath a couple of floors later. He knew she too could hear the sound of running feet behind them. It was not much longer before they reached the roof and he had no intention of slowing down. He was sure her adrenaline filled body would keep her going as well.

He finally saw the doors leading to the roof and barged through, the cold air hitting him in an almost soothing manner. The light of the full moon barely visible through the maze of lit buildings that made up the city. He brought a finger to his ear piece he spoke into it.

"I'm at the roof, where are you?"

"We're almost there, how many are there?" he heard a familiar feminine voice answer him.

"There seem to be fifteen heading here. Less than fifteen seconds before contact," he looked to find the blond girl next to him, listening to what he was saying and looking tense as she watched the door in front of them.

Sure enough fifteen other men arrived at the roof, quickly surrounding them and cutting off any way of escape. They looked left and right, and Ino watched as the man beside her readied to once again fight these other man. Was he strong enough to take them on? Somehow, she believe he was. And yet...

"We're so dead..." Ino said as she felt the atmosphere change, and it seemed as the group of men were beginning to charge towards them. However, they heard a thudding sound and saw a helicopter heading their way, and hover just above them, the wind from the rotors whipped their hair around as the men below paused. Two figures in the night air were seen jumping down from the helicopter, and something was dropped, causing a smokescreen to fill the area around them. It was followed by a rainfall of weapons that fell upon the scene, impaling those who had not been able to see the incoming weapons.

The two figures landed in front of them. As the smoke cleared up they could see one was female, and the other was male. The woman wore a white and maroon shirt with maroon pants, her hair up in to twin buns on her head. The male wore green jumpsuit, his hair cut into a bob shape from what she could see. They looked back for a brief second to see Ino and the male beside her before turning back to those who had survived the attack which was about half of them.

"I guess we arrived just in time," the female said, as she readied her knife.

"Forgive us for the delay my friend, but we are here to aid you against these opponents!"

The opposing group seemed to hesitate at the new arrivals, but the door behind them opened to reveal a white haired male with glasses calmly walk to the front, a smile on his face.

"Well, well, well, four little kiddos against all us from Sound. You all know I could easily take all of you down," Ino saw the three which she considered to be the "good" guys of the situation tense further at the sight of this man, and she felt he must be a bigger threat than he looked, specially from the way he spoke his threat.

"I don't think you give us enough credit Kabuto," the girl in front of Ino said through gritted teeth. Kabuto only chuckled as he pushed up the glasses from his nose and his gaze traveled over the group in front of him, pausing at a new pair of eyes he was not familiar with. Ino took this opportunity and held his gaze.

_But you will not stay_, she thought as she continued to look him in the eyes, _you have other matters to attend to_. She felt herself envelop his mind, manipulating him into what she wanted, as she had done many times before.

"As it turns out, we have other matters to attend to," Ino felt instant relief at the knowledge that her manipulation had worked, and even more when he turned around and motioned to the others to follow him. The "enemy"seemed to share a look between themselves before they followed the man with white hair. The three beside her did not move until they were sure the others were gone.

The two in front of them turned around with a confused look on their face.

"Well that was odd, why would he go through all the trouble to track you and chase you only to leave at the last minute?" the female asked the two men.

"I'm not sure, do you think something else might be up? A trick maybe?" the male with the green outfit suggested.

"I'm not sure, but you both should return to headquarters and report back," the long-haired male spoke.

"What about you?" the female asked. Ino was surprised when he looked at her.

"I will make sure she gets out of here safe," the two others seemed to understand and nodded.

"Alright, be careful," she replied, he nodded and motioned up to where the helicopter still stood to lower the latter that would bring the two others back up. The helicopter flew off, leaving the two behind.

"So is it safe to assume that there won't be any more incidents like that for the rest of the night?" she asked with a sigh as she felt the sudden need to sit down.

"I can't be sure, but it seems so," he answered her.

"Great... that was enough excitement for one day," she groaned, "can I ask for a favor?"

He looked at her as he waited for her to continue.

"Can you take me home?" she asked as calmly as if she was asking the weather. He gave her an odd look before nodding, it was the least he could do after putting her through this.

"Where do you live?"

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><p>They had jumped a couple of roofs before they finally made it down to the street below. When she says <em>they<em> jumped, she meant _he_ jumped while she held on for dear life. He had assured her this was to make sure they were not followed and soon enough they were at her apartment complex.

On their way there, she had noticed he was not much of a talker, and it had been silent. Although she herself was a babbler mouth, tonight too much was going on in her head for her to continue that practice. As much as she hated to think about it, what she had witnessed that night would change her life forever. She already knew. And she was determined to get some answers.

He walked her all the way to the third floor where her apartment was. The halls were empty, not surprising considering the late hour, and they stopped at the white door labeled 32C, but she didn't immediately go in. Instead, she turned to him.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"I'm afraid I cannot tell you that," he replied with ease, as if expecting the question. She was really getting annoyed now.

"I want answers," she calmly stated. He wasn't sure what to think of it as he looked at her, there was a certain air around her that told him to be careful, that she was up to something.

"I'm afraid you must forget what happened tonight, continue to live on as you have, there's nothing else you can do, for I can't tell you anything more than what you saw," she narrowed her eyes.

"See, that's just not an option," he watched as she brought her hands, forming a triangle with her hands, and as he watched her body collapse to the ground, he felt the sudden presence of something that didn't belong in his mind.

He was mentally strong enough to realize that she was in there and with a gasp he immediately put all walls around his mind that he could muster. He could feel her trying to fight through them, but he would not let her. What he knew was probably the most valuable thing he owned, and he could not let her through. Using all his might, he fought force her out, the exertion he was doing causing him to fall to his knees. I seemed like hours passed before he finally managed to push her out, and by the time it was over her was gasping for breath. He looked to see her body stir and her eyes open. She looked annoyed as she watched him.

"No one has ever managed to keep me out of their mind," she said as she got up, "You're not normal, but then again, I should already know that."

He stood and regained his composure.

"And I see that neither are you. Do you work for them?" he asked with narrowed eyes. Could she have been under orders this entire time? He reached for his weapon and readied himself end her life or take her into custody.

"I work for no one!" she said as if she was insulted. He looked at her in silence, regarding her answer and what she had shown. He could almost sense the truth in her indignant tone, and he was very good at reading emotions. There was always the possibility she was that good of an actress of course, but still...

"Maybe you'll get your answers after all," without another word he sheathed his weapon and turned and walked away, leaving her to ponder the meaning of his words. His footsteps seemed to emit no sound as he walked and she watched him until he disappeared into the door that led to the stairs. Turning to her own door, she unconsciously reached for her bag to retrieve her keys when it hit her.

She had left her bag back at her office.

"You have got to be kidding me..."

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><p><strong>Keep reading, oh, and review if you're new:)<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**R&R**

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><p><strong>In Secret, In Silence<strong>

**Author's note:** Second chapter, some revision, not many changes. Enjoy! :)

**Disclaimer:** I write only for the sake of your entertainment as well as my own.

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><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

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><p>"<em>Your actions are questionable Hyuga Neji," his pale eyes found her own dark browns with an unwavering stare. He was not used to being reprimanded, not by her at least. He could not remember the last time, if ever, that he had been called into her for anything other than missions or a congratulations or promotion.<em>

"_Not only did you almost let the secrets of our organization out," the woman continued, "but you did nothing about it regarding that civilian... what was her name again?"_

_He resisted the urge to frown, knowing full well she had intentionally brought up that information to humiliate him._

"_I do not know."_

"_You didn't even get her name? Tell me, were you distracted by her beauty Hyuga? This is a first for you," the male in question could not stop the indignant glare that marred his otherwise blank features, her words making their mark in his pride._

"_Her name is Ino Yamanaka," they turned to the voice of the approaching male, his hands were in his pocket, and his hair up in his usual spiked ponytail. Though his posture remained lazy, his eyes showed a hard and serious gaze._

_Her eyes widened. It suddenly made sense!  
><em>

"_Its nice to know someone has done their research... how is it you found this out Shikamaru? You weren't present in the mission as far as I know," the woman asked as she walked to her large mahogany desk and sat, clasping her hands together and resting her chin on them._

"_After Tenten and Lee returned and explained her appearance, she seemed familiar. The building the battle took place in was also the building she works in. I looked at the surveillance tape from the helicopter and confirmed my guess."  
><em>

"_Miss Yamanaka... it all makes sense now. This is interesting, she never told you of her abilities?" Shikamaru frowned and shook his head._

"_I did not, she never once mentioned it to me," he replied._

_She nodded, trying to wrap her head around the new information. What a twist indeed._

"_Does she know about you?"_

"_As far as she knows, I'm currently overseas working with a police department in Suna." _

"_I see... Well Nara, what do you recommend to do regarding your _friend_?"_

_He sighed and scratched his head._

"_Troublesome... but I have an idea."_

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><p>He knew it was only right that he be the one to retrieve her, she was his friend after all. Still, this would be an interesting meeting, and he knew it. After all, who knew the Yamanaka better than Shikamaru himself? They had known each other since grade school, even though they did not become close until junior high. He never once pictured her involved into what he was though. To think that all this time Ino has a secret hidden. And here he had always thought he finally had something Ino wouldn't have to ever know.<p>

He sighed as he looked at the door in front of him. A simple white door with the number 32C that once he entered, a whole new chapter to the girl's life inside would start. He did not hesitate in raising his fist to place firm determined knocks on her door. It did not take long for the girl occupying the room to open the door with clouded eyes, as if she had her mind on something else when she opened the door. He had a pretty good idea of what that was too. However, when her eyes looked up to see her, she immediately recognized him.

"Shika!" he tried not to tense when she threw her arms over his shoulders and wrapped them around his neck. The hug was over quickly as she let go and turned to him with a huge smile on her face.

"You're back!" she suddenly frowned as if she hit a certain realization, "Shikamaru Nara! You didn't even call me! I'm you're best friend and you didn't even call me to tell me you came back, I should be pounding you into the ground right now!"

"Sheesh Ino, this is the homecoming I get? Look, can I come inside?" Ino frowned at the tone of his voice. Sure, she knew Shikamaru wasn't the most enthusiastic person around, but his tone had a hard edge to it she could not dismiss and oddly out of place, even for him. She tentatively opened the door further and stepped aside to let her longtime friend through.

"Is something wrong Shika?" Ino asked with a frown as they sat down in her living room area. She really hoped she did not need to hear something bad. Just yesterday she had discovered the world was full of inhuman people for Christ's sake! She felt as if she had someone teleported inside an action movie as the damsel in distress. She hoped nothing worse was awaiting her. This just wasn't her week.

"Ino..." Shikamaru simply did not know how to begin this and took a moment to view his surroundings in an attempt to form his thoughts. Nothing he didn't expect of Ino. The place was clean as always, with the same brown couches adding color to the otherwise white room and gray carpet. The walls were decorated with picture frames and diplomas he remembered looking at whenever he came over, some even included him. How simple life was in those pictures. What lies lay behind every image.

How was he supposed to tell her that he had been keeping something from her his entire life. That this entire time he had never been in Suna. That there was a whole life she was not aware of and would soon be a part of. This was his best friend, one that certainly could be a handful at times, but a friend nonetheless. One he never wanted to see harmed. If he continued this, danger would be around every corner. Why had he decided to even consider it? It had seemed logical, but now... seeing her in person... he almost wished he had never suggested it.

"Spit it out Shikamaru! I know you're trying to tell me something," under normal circumstances she would have used this long pause to her advantage, possibly teasing Shikamaru about what it could be he was to afraid to say. Right now this pause was suffocating. She could always choose to read his mind, but she had made a promise to herself that she would never read her best friend's mind no matter what.

He sighed.

"Do you know how I said I was helping a case in Suna. . .?" he finally spoke. Ino nodded warily, wondering where this was going.

"Well, I was never there," Ino frowned. Shikamaru... had lied? He had never lied to her before. About anything. They were that close. Or that's what she had hoped. . .

"Why?" she asked her silent question, "I mean, why did you lie?"

"Because. . . I could not tell you where I really was," he replied. She stood up.

_"I'm afraid I cannot tell you that."_

She suddenly remembered the male from the previous night and her mind reluctantly began to form an idea. She was almost afraid to ask.

"Where. . .?"

"Ino, what I am about to reveal to you, you must never tell anyone. Promise me," Ino bit her lip, she could see the seriousness to the situation, and she didn't like it one bit.

"I... I promise," she said. Shikamaru nodded and stood up. He walked over to the lamp that stood in the living room, and adjusted it.

"Look at my shadow," Ino did as she was told and looked down to see Shikamaru's shadow. She looked up briefly to see what the point to this was when she saw him make a sign with his hands. Her eyes widened as she noticed this, and turned her eyes back to his shadow where she saw it begin to move and stretch towards her. The shadow seemed to connect with her own feet and she suddenly found herself unable to look. She looked up to see Shikamaru staring directly at her. Slowly, he put a hand to his side, and she felt her heart speed up when her own hand imitated this movement, and not by her will.

"Shikamaru... what is this?" She managed to gasp out. She almost fell to the ground as she felt his shadow retreat.

"As you can see, I'm not what you can call normal. And as you should know, neither are you. You too have abilities that are not ordinary, am I right?"

There was a moment of pause as Ino looked down. Slowly, she nodded, still not looking up.

"How did you know?" she whispered. Shikamaru sighed.

"I didn't find out until last night, and I'm sure you remember what happened," at this Ino's head swiveled up.

"You mean...?"

"Yes, I know what happened to you," he cut her off, "I'm part of the group that you were with. Not the ones that attacked you, but the ones that helped you. Look Ino, there's not much I can tell you. It's against my code. There's a reason I'm here."

Ino found herself unable to say anything. Shikamaru had been involved in what had occurred the previous day? How was that possible. He was supposed to be a regular guy, heck even less than that with how lazy he always seemed! Now she was supposed to believe that he was also inhuman. Sure, she knew she also had weird powers not considered normal, but to think that all this time her best friend was in her shoes, and involved with some organization with more inhuman people?

"Then, why are you here?"

"I'm here to give you a proposition. . ."

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><p>"<em>Daddy, can you tell me a bed time story?" young Ino looked up to her dad as he tucked her into bed. His long blond hair was tied into his usual ponytail, she couldn't help but hope someday her hair would be as pretty as his was.<em>

"_You know I'm not good at telling bed time stories baby girl..." he answered with a chuckle and a smile._

"_Sure you can daddy, tell me about those stories with the superheroes," she stuck out her bottom lip and made it tremble, making her eyes as huge as possible, "Pretty pretty please with sugar on top?"_

_Her father sighed as he fell right into her trap. She looked so innocent, surrounded by countless of stuffed animals she had accumulated over the years and tucked into her pink covers. It was hard to say no to such a sight, it was so easy to give in to her requests. He hoped he could keep her this innocent, this safe. She was the reason he lived and did what he did._

"_Fine baby, you know I can't resist that face, just don't get mad if its not one of those Disney stories you love so much."_

"_I won't!" she replied with a happy smile._

"_Okay well lets see, who do you want to hear about?" he asked._

"_The Yamanaka Clan of course!" Ino stated with a grin. He chuckled once more, not the least bit surprised of her request._

"_Very well then. In the world of the Hidden Leaf, the Yamanaka clan was not known for their physical ability, and much of the time were not considered strong for it. But what many did not realize was that they had a bigger power than they could ever comprehend. The power of the mind. For while the body is strong, the mind is stronger. And the Yamanaka Clan had a very special power. Their abilities revolved around the mind, for they could do anything they wanted to anyone. They could read minds, they could discover memories and information, and if you were strong enough, you could take control over someones body by simply taking over their entire mind. Because of this, they were often used to find information from the enemy and were valued for it._

_When a great evil came to surface, it was the Yamanaka Clan who managed to gather the last bit of information needed to defeat it. It had already been years since this war had started. It was a secret war, and many in the world did not even realize it was taking place, and that's how it was meant to be. The Yamanaka Clan had a very important mission. It was to capture the leader of the enemy, and gather all the information they could. It was dangerous. Maybe too dangerous, and it could cost them their lives. But they knew they had to do it, it was their duty and the right thing to do in order to finally win this war. So without a doubt in their mind, they accepted this mission. Only one of them was assigned, but he was not alone, as he had two other partners with him. What would you like their names to be baby girl?"_

_Ino smiled, liking how her dad let her pick out the names, "How about Inoichi, Shikaku, and Choza?" She noticed how her dad's eyes had gone wide, and he did not say anything._

"_I... I can choose other names if you want daddy..." she saw as he seemed to shake himself from his thoughts and gave her what seemed to be a forced smile._

"_No baby girl... they're perfect..." he cleared his throat._

"_Well, as it was, it turned to be a very hard mission. They had to travel for days before they arrived at their destination, and when they got there they had to be very careful. Unfortunately someone had known they were coming, and a great battle took place. It seemed as if they would lose this battle, but in the end, with the use of their strongest abilities, they were able to break through the enemies' defenses and find the target. Inoichi managed to extract all the information they needed and escape back to headquarters where they were able to give the information to their own leaders. In no time the Hidden Leaf had all the preparations needed to finish of the enemy and win the war, bringing peace to the land all around. Everyone was rewarded for their efforts and they all lived happily ever after. The End."_

_Ino giggled, "I love happy endings!"_

_She missed the sad smile that graced her father's features._

"_Me too baby girl... now go to sleep. You got your story," Ino laid down and snuggled into her blankets and hugged her favorite stuffed animal. He kissed her on the forehead._

"_Now remember, these stories are just between you and me..." Ino nodded and closed her eyes, her mind already replaying the story she had just heard. She imagined her dad, fighting evil as he ended a __war that helped restored peace. _

_She smiled._

"_Its a secret daddy."_

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><p>How could it be that suddenly all those stories, that she had once thought impossible, to seem so true. She had always wondered how it was that she had the same abilities as in the stories. She had discovered these abilities at a young age, at the age she wished to forget. It was around the time that her father had died. They had said it was a car accident, but now, she questioned it. Her father had been the only one who seemed to know about these abilities, but with him gone, who was she to go to with this? After all, he had said it was between the two of them. She couldn't tell anyone about the stories he had shared with her and how she suddenly had these abilities. Even in death, she would never break such trust, the bond she had held with him. And even if she had, everyone would think she was crazy. So she kept it to herself, and continued to live normally, or as normal as she could be.<p>

And now, here she was blindfolded and being led by her best friend into who knows where. She already felt she had been walking miles without getting anywhere, but Shikamaru had insisted she could not know where she was being taken. She had agreed to his proposition, that was, that she would meet with someone, and she would learn of the answers she had asked the day before.

She gasped as she felt herself nearly trip before she felt Shikamaru steady her.

"Careful now. It won't be long now. Just going on this elevator."

On cue, she heard the sound of elevator doors opening and she could not help but remember her episode from the day before in the elevator. She had stayed late that night to work for some papers her boss had assigned her last minute. She had stayed so late that there was no one else in the building. Out of nowhere she had heard the sound of someone crashing through the windows on her floor, and in the midst of fighting and confusion she ended up running towards the elevator while being followed.

She hoped she never had to relieve that.

It took a while to reach the floor where they were going, and she wondered just how far down or up they had gone. Her sense of direction was off after walking blind, but one thing she knew; either they were up very high, or down very low. Once the elevator stopped and they stepped off, they walked for a bit longer, the hearing of machinery and some chatter sometimes reaching her ears before she felt Shikamaru pause and she heard the sound of a door opening. They stepped through, and the door closed from behind.

She felt her blindfold be taken of and slowly she opened her eyes. And in front of her, stood the man from the previous day, and a woman with blond hair and sharp brown eyes.

"Welcome, Ino Yamanaka."

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><p><strong>Review, and then you're more than welcome to keep reading the new chapter:)<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**R&R**

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><p><strong>In Secret, In Silence<strong>

**Author's Note:** Okay, so this is where (I think) things get a little more interesting. Newest installment and I really enjoyed writing this chapter. It took some planning and thinking, but I hope you guys like the world I created, I'll tell you it wasn't easy, but it sure was fun! Specially if you're into a lot of action/adventure stuff.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, I just borrowed some concepts for the world I created, innocent enough, right? :)

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><p><strong>Chapter Three<strong>

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><p>The office was impressive. Large and spacious, pale beige walls illuminated by warm fluorescent lights from the ceiling, a large elegant desk with more than one computer on it. She didn't want to remove her gaze from the woman in front of her, but she swore there were several bottles of sake on the desk as well. The woman herself seemed to fill the room, she obviously held power. Ino could see that from the way she held herself and the look in her fierce brown eyes. But she refused to be intimidated, not when she wanted answers.<p>

"Well, you know my name, can I know yours? Or am I still not allowed to know anything?"

The older woman in front of her frowned, obviously not appreciating the tone this woman, or girl more like it, was using. She should be grateful, it wasn't often she offered what she was about to. But she also liked the spitfire she held, it was that kind of attitude that helped you in this field.

"The conditions to which Shikamaru retrieved you let you know all your questions would be answered, and so they will be. That being said I will tell you my name is Tsunade. I am the leader of this organization."

So indeed there was an organization. A secret one at that.

"And what exactly are you guys? Some kind of inhuman KDI*?" Ino asked and was surprised by the smirk that formed on Tsunade's face, if she thought she looked intimidating before, she looked downright terrifying when she smirked.

"You're close. We are N.I.N.J.A."

Ino blinked. Blinked. And blinked.

And laughed.

She didn't laugh because it was funny in the "yeah right" sort of way. She laughed because days ago she would never have believed someone who claimed to be a ninja. And yeah, she would have laughed in their face too. But no, she laughed at the irony of it, she laughed at the fact that today, it was so easy to believe such a statement, specially considering what she had seen in the past few days.

"Well I guess you guys do look the part," she giggled some more and was a little more than disappointed she was the only one. Even Shikamaru's face was way too serious for her liking. The man from last night hadn't so much as moved an inch.

"I'm afraid its not that simple. We are not the ninja you are probably thinking of. It stands for the National Intelligence of Neohuman Justice Association. And our world stretches far beyond anything you probably know."

Ino crossed her arms as she processes the information. Obviously this was more than she ever thought would happen in the span of two days.

"So let me get this straight. You're a secret organization made up of people with inhuman capabilities. I don't know what you do exactly, or how you work. Mr. Dead Face over there was intent on revealing nothing to me until he found out about my own technique. My own best friend who I've known my entire life is a part of this and I just found out today. Why exactly am I here?"

She watched with satisfaction as the said male frowned at her name for him. Finally, some emotion!

While he was indeed not pleased with her reference to him, he was also surprised to find her to be more perceptive than he originally thought, not to mention she was taking the entire situation fairly calm for someone who just discovered there is more to what they thought they knew.

"It is called the Shintenshin. Or Mind Transfer Technique," Ino's eyes once more zeroed in on the woman, her brows furrowing in confusion.

"Excuse me?"

"The technique you used on Neji, that's its proper name."

Ino frowned further. Shintenshin. Mind Transfer Technique. Terms she didn't recall ever hearing, but seemed vaguely familiar.

"And how is it you know that exactly?"

Neji scrutinized the blond's face closely, knowing what was coming next. This would reveal how good she truly was at handling news.

"Your name is Ino Yamanaka. Of the Yamanaka Clan. Your father was none other than Inoichi Yamanaka, am I correct?"

Neji watched as the blond's entire body tensed at the sound of her father's name, her jaw clenched and her eyes seemed to visibly darken, almost as if she had put up a wall to conceal her true emotions. An assumption he didn't doubt.

"How do you know my father?" her tone was tight as she asked.

"To understand what I am about to tell you, it is important you understand our origins. Are you prepared to hear it?"

The blond hesitated only for a moment, before giving a tense nod. If it would tell her about her father, she would listen to anything this woman had to say.

"Please, let us sit," Tsunade moved to sit behind her own desk, and Ino moved to sit on the chair positioned in front of her. The two males in the room did not move however, and remained standing behind her. Ino knew she had been right in her assumption about the sake bottles, and was surprised and maybe even a little irritated when the woman reached for one and seemed to gulp it down. What kind of leader of a secret organization drunk on the job, specially when she was supposed to be telling someone about its history? How responsible was this woman? Then again, she could use some booze herself.

"Do you mind?" Ino motioned to the sake bottle, and the woman Tsunade raised an eyebrow before smirking in amusement and handing her the bottle. Ino didn't hesitate to take several long gulps, enjoying the familiar burning sensation that went down her throat and to her stomach. It might not be enough for a proper buzz, but it would do. She handed the bottle back to Tsunade who took it and placed the bottle aside to giver her full attention to the girl in front of her. She didn't particularly like to share her sake, but in this case, it might help with what she was about to reveal to her.

"For generations, we, neohumans, have existed in secrecy in this world. We did not begin as an blunder of nature, we were not a mistake. We began as the result of scientific goal. To make humans superior, to make a normal person a superhuman. The reason we have such abilities is due to experimentation in our genetic make-up. It began with a couple dozen children, male and female, each different than the next. It was meant to be kept contained and a secret to the rest of the world, and that continues to be a must. Some were raised better than others, with love and care, others with strict discipline. But all were raised to be soldiers. In the beginning, we were special soldiers for the KDI and were sent on the hardest of missions a regular person would find difficult. Assassinations being our specialty. None complained, it was what they were raised to to do, and all they knew.

As time progressed, however, certain _things_ happened, and children were born. It was never meant to happen, an unwritten law if you will, but love and carnal pleasures can't be stopped easily. What was discovered from this was that children were born from neohuman parents sometimes had the same abilities as the parent. It wasn't always the case, but there were also instances when neohumans would have children with each other, and in turn those children would either have the technique of one of the parents, or a new technique entirely. As families began to form, and we became more _humane_, you could say, morals began to change. Tensions between normal humans and neohumans rose. Neohuman parents didn't want their children to be soldiers on more than one occasion, but having characteristics of neohumans could not be let out to the public. It would be disastrous.

For a long period of time no one knew what to do with the emerging generation of neohumans. Most thought they should be taken from the parents and raised as the first generation was, in secrecy and to become a soldier. Of course, parents rebelled against the idea. Many didn't want their children to constantly be risking their lives. They might be neohumans and have special techniques, but they were not invincible. As children grew and the conflict continued, the KDI decided to force the new neohuman generation to join their ranks. Both generations rebelled, and rather than be part of it, they broke away from the KDI. That's how N.I.N.J.A was formed. In order to be their own organization however, certain guidelines had to be follow if they were to avoid actual war. Mainly; secrecy. Whether you chose to live life as normal person or an agent of Konoha, secrecy was priority. Techniques were not to be used in public or in any way that would risk the secrecy of it. Punishments were dealt harshly to those that threatened the security of the new branch.

It was a start, and we were happy with how things turned out. N.I.N.J.A is not exactly like the KDI. True, we continued to carry out missions for Konoha, but we also took care of our own. Over time we formed our own society, with our own codes. For examples, families became clans, all under N.I.N.J.A. The Nara Clan, The Hyuuga Clan, and of course, The Yamanaka Clan."

Tsunade paused as she allowed the woman in front of her to take in the new information. She took in her expression closely, and saw how intently the girl was looking on, and the frown on her face. It was not everyday that she had to recite the history of their organization, but she always remembered the face of the people she had revealed it to. She would be no exception.

Ino hung on to every word, and the more she learned the more mind boggling her entire life suddenly seemed. This entire time, she wasn't even human! Okay so that was pretty obvious considering the abilities she possessed, but until now she had just accepted it and never question it. This finally gave her a reason to why she wasn't normal.

"So you mean, I'm actually a neohuman thing?" Ino frowned further as a sudden realization hit her, "But if that's the case, and neohumans are under the protection of you ninjas or whatever, why didn't someone take me in? Why didn't anyone tell me this before?"

Tsunade sighed.

"As I said, most children born from neohumans did in fact inherit a technique, but that is not always the case. There are instances where a neohuman and a normal human may produce a child with no technique at all. Even if both parents were neohuman, the chance of having a normal child was still there. In your case, your mother was a normal human. The chance that you didn't possess an ability was higher than if your mother was a neohuman as well."

Ino thought back to her mother. She had died even before her father had, and there wasn't much she could recall about her. But if this woman was supposed to know everything about her family or "clan", than she didn't doubt what she said.

"Because of this, we were not sure whether you possessed the same technique your father did. As a policy with our organization, he had to let us know if you shared his ability. Unfortunately, he died before he had the chance to find out. Because neither he nor your mother were alive to tell us, and the fact you were taken in by your aunt on your mother's side, things got complicated. Your aunt was a normal human, and as such, we were forbidden from telling her about our organization and the possibility of the technique you could possess. We attempted at taking you into our custody," Tsunade chuckled as she recalled the incident.

"But that woman has an iron will, and she defended her right to keep you like a mother bear would protect her cubs."

Ino couldn't help by smiling fondly. Her aunt had indeed been like a mother to her, albeit they argued constantly and both were beyond stubborn, but she loved her and thanked her for many things in her life nonetheless.

"Stubbornness does run in the family," Tsunade smiled in amusement and nodded in agreement.

"She threatened to sue, and in order to keep attention away from our organization, we had to relent and leave you in her care, but tried to keep tabs on you. We even hoped that maybe, if you indeed had the Yamanaka ability, you would confide in Shikamaru, who became an active member of N.I.N.J.A as a young boy. But you never did. You never gave an indication that you had a special ability... until last night that is."

Ino was abruptly brought back to the present as she recalled the events, and for the first time, everything she had just learned seemed surreal. Suddenly things didn't make sense as they had a moment ago.

"Okay so hold on! What happened that night? From what I could see, everyone fighting were neohumans. Why were you guys fighting each other?"

At this Tsunade frowned and a long pause followed.

"Tell me Ino, how did your father die?"

Ino visibly tensed as she gazed into Tsunade's demanding eyes. She remembered all too clearly the night. But what she had learned today once more reaffirmed an earlier guess of hers.

"I was told it was a car accident... but its a lie isn't it?"

Tsunade slowly nodded.

The pang of pain hit her unexpectedly. This entire time, it had been a lie. Her dad hadn't died in a car accident.

"Then... how did he... die?" the sudden lump in her throat made it harder to ask, and she was almost scared to find out. But she had to know the truth.

"About forty years ago, tensions within our own organization rose. A new group of neohuman began to form. They were the equivalent to a bad cop. They were corrupt, believed themselves to be superior, and thought only of themselves. They began to resent our community and the normal humans they considered beneath them. They began to defy us, refusing to take part in missions or openly using their techniques out in the public. We tried to punish and contain them, but it failed. Led by a man known as Orochimaru, all that shared his view followed him in a revolt. It was war then. We tried to keep it as secret as possible, and Orochimaru was smart enough to know if he gained the attention of the world military he would be overwhelmed and his plans would never work, so he too tried to keep it a secret. They became known as the Sound."

"A secret war..." suddenly the memories of the stories her father would share with her came back, all of the war, _a_ _secret war_. And if what he said had actually happened then...

"Is the war over?"

Did the happily ever after truly happen as her dad had told her? When Tsunade shook her head, her hopes were crushed. Her father had lied...

"No. The war is very much still going on. It was the Sound that killed your father. He was on a mission to gain information from a lead we learned of. However, he was found out. From what we gathered, he was taken for interogation, possibly tortured, and eventually killed. We attempted to retrieve him, but by the time we got there... it was too late." another pang of pain hit Ino, but this time it was accompanied by something else. Hate, contempt. Her father hadn't _died_, he was _killed_. Not just killed, but _tortured_. She felt her eyes watering at the thought. To picture him in pain, tortured to gain information from him. The image made vile rise in her throat. She swallowed hard and her hand clenched in her lap as she looked down, fighting the feelings of rage and sadness that suddenly filled her.

Her state was not lost to the occupants of the room, and Shikamaru walked forward to place a hand on her shaking shoulder. He hated that she had to find out this way. He wished that he could leave her to live a normal life in ignorance. But they needed her, now more than ever.

"We finally have a chance to bring down the Sound and every member within it. We have captured one of the most important members, with the intel he has, we can destroy the Sound once and for all. But no matter what we do, we cannot get him to reveal anything to us. Ino. This is why you are here, this is why I was willing to bring you into all of this. We need your help, we need the help of the last Yamanaka."

Ino listened to the soft voice of who she had considered her best friend for as long as she could remember. A chance to destroy the Sound. This was a chance for revenge, a chance to destroy the people who had taken away the person she had loved the most. And she would start with this prisoner.

"I'll do it," she finally looked up and stood, walking to Tsunade's desk and all but slamming her palms on the wooden surface, "Just tell me who it is and I'll do it!"

The woman looked pleased, but did not smile as she looked directly into the blazing blue eyes of the blond.

"His name is Sasuke Uchiha."

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><p>*Konoha Department of Intelligence<p>

**Okay so if you see anything odd or out of place that you don't agree with in this chapter, please let me know. I would appreciate feedback and I would love to hear from the people who read it when it was first posted. I know its been a while but here it is, and I hope it meets your expectations and more! **

**Also, I am once again putting up a poll on whether you want Ino to end up with Neji or Sasuke, so make sure to check that out!**


	4. Chapter 4

**R&R**

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><p><strong>In Secret, In Silence<strong>

**Author's Note: **_Well, this certainly took long enough... I came across it while I was looking through my documents, and I was a little disappointed when I saw I hadn't finished the whole chapter. So I did! and here it is! I'm back on the bandwagon! And hope you are too!_

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><p><strong>Chapter Four<strong>

"I'm sorry I had to bring you into this Ino."

They were alone in the elevator that was to take them to their next destination within the headquarters. There were no windows present from what she had seen, so she guessed they must be somewhere out of plain sight.

"Would an alarm sound if I stopped the elevator?"

Shikamaru was confused at the question from the blonde that stood as rigid as stone, but he quickly came to the conclusion that perhaps she was having seconds thoughts, or the gravity of the situation and the information practically thrown at her had finally caught up to her. He would be right in his assumptions. If he could look at her eyes, he would see the swirl of emotions; sadness, anger, confusion, longing, regret. There were so many emotions swirling through the blond that all she wanted was to pause this very moment to get a hold of her bearing. It was as if all the emotions had taken their toll, and all she wanted was rest.

"Most likely, yes," he answered her. She sighed, turned around to look at the person she considered her best friend, and without warning walked towards him and wrapped her arms around him tightly.

"I only wish you had brought me into this sooner Shika, that I could have learned about all of this and been able to do something about it before now," his warmth helped soothe the chaos of emotions that raged within, and as his own arms encircled around her she focused of his embrace and for the moment forgot about NINJA, her father, and the prisoner she was to interrogate.

He felt something stir within him, something he wasn't quite sure how to describe. He had always been there for Ino when she needed someone to vent to, but she had always been the kind to yell and complain about this or that. He was there to listen to her banter and pick up the pieces when she got especially violent and broke a few decorations around her apartment. But he had never seen her like this; he had never seen her look so vulnerable, so exhausted, and so pained. It was as if he had placed a heavy burden upon her shoulders, and no matter what she said, he hated himself for it.

But he also knew that this was bigger than him, bigger than them both. He had a duty to do what he could to save as many lives as he could, and if they didn't stop the Sound, innocent people would continue to be killed. And while it meant bringing her into a world of danger, it was also where she belonged. She deserved to know what she really was, what really happened with her father, and it was her choice whether she would use her abilities to serve NINJA and bring down the Sound.

And for those reasons, there was only one thing he could offer her.

"I'll be here for you."

Her grip on him tightened, and she fought the lump that suddenly rose in her throat.

"Thank you Shika. I won't let you down."

He smiled, knowing that a Yamanaka never broke their promise, and would go to the ends of the Earth to fulfill it.

"I know you won't. Now let's meet a few members of NINJA, I think you'll like them."

She nodded and gave him a smile, it wasn't a genuine one, but it was a step into getting ahold of her emotions. So she turned and faced the elevator doors, ready to enter this new chapter her life had suddenly taken. The elevator reached her destination, and butterflies gathered in her stomach at the uncertainty of what she was about to enter. She breathed in deep as the doors opened, and she almost choked on her breath as she saw who waited on the other side.

There, grinning, stood none other than her other best friend.

"Choji!"

His grin widened.

"Heard you would be joining us Ino," he said calmly.

"You're a neohuman too?" her eyes were wide despite the fact she knew she shouldn't be surprised by now, but it looked like life wasn't done throwing surprises her way.

"You're asking me? All this time you could have been working with us!"

Ino didn't know what to say as another lump in her throat grew. Once more she felt lost in the world. Here was her second best friend, who she had spent so much time with growing up, who she thought he knew so well, only to discover that he was involved in something so much bigger. Something her father had risked his life for, and the life she was about to enter.

"Well, better late than never is what I always say," Ino forced yet another grin on her face, and wished more than anything that she could just press a fast forward to the point she felt she knew what she was doing.

If Ino could describe the room they had just entered, she would say it looked like the typical high-tech FBI and CIA intelligence rooms that were shown in every action movie she had sat down to watch with Shikamary and Choji when it was their turn to pick the movie for movie night. Ino almost smiled at the irony of it all, at the thought that her friends were the real thing all along.

"Ino Yamanaka?"

Ino turned to the feminine voice that called her name, and what immediately caught her attention was the pink hair that adorned the heal of pale skin and emerald eyes. The girl wore a red and pink outfit, with a metal headband she had subtly noticed on all of the members that she had met atop her head.

"That's me," Ino answered with a straight face in response to the girl.

She felt relieved when the girl gave her a comforting smile in return, the simple action soothing the nerves that flared up at the sound of her name.

"Ino, this is Haruno Sakura, our best medical specialist besides Lady Tsunade," Shikamaru filled her in as the pink-haired girl approached the three.

Sakura held out her hand in front of her and Ino didn't hesitate to reach out her own and shake the girl's hand, noting the roughness that accompanied it. Was that the life of NINJA members? She tried to remember if her father's hands had been this way, an indication that everything they had told her was true. But no matter how hard to tried to remember, she could barely remember what his hugs felt like.

"It's nice to meet you Ino. I was impressed when I heard that you were able to bring Neji to his knees without even touching him," she told her and for a second Ino was confused, until she remembered the event that had brought her to this place in the first place.

To think that it had happened only days prior, and now it felt like a world away.

"I have a habit of making men fall to their knees in front of me," despite her situation, Ino couldn't help but give a witty reply.

Sakura laughed in response, and Ino felt a little better by making the situation a little lighter than she felt it really was.

"I'd offer to give you a tour, but unfortunately Lady Tsunade has given me orders to give you a full physical right away, and to inform you on the Activation Process right away."

Ino looked shocked, and her nerves flared up once more at how quickly things were moving.

"Wait, what? Activation Process?"

Sakura nodded, and Ino could see the look that all doctors placed on their face when they were trying to comfort someone that was on their way for a treatment.

"I'm afraid that time is essential, but I promise to explain everything you need to know while we're in the examining room."

Ino turned to look at her two best friends, and they nodded in response, silently urging her to move forward with the girl she whose name was all she knew. This was a world she knew nothing about, a world where she knew she didn't have the luxury of preparing for. But as she looked at her best friends, the look in their eyes told her they'd be right there next to her, holding her hand whenever she needed it.

And that was all she needed to know to nod her head, and accept whatever was coming her way.

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><p>"So I've been dying to ask you... is your hair natural?"<p>

Sakura laughed at her question, knowing very well that most people didn't think pink hair could ever be natural. Of course, Ino now knew a little more than normal people.

"As a Neohuman, our genetic makeup is different than regular people, as I'm sure Lady Tsunade explained to you."

Ino nodded as she sat on the bench in the typical sterilized white walls that defined a medical room.

"Well, as it turns out, pink hair was one of those things that happened as a result of the changes to our DNA."

"I see..." Ino replied, "but at least it saves you the hassle of having to dye it every week."

Sakura smiled and nodded, but got right back to business.

"Because our genetic make-up was tempered with in order to make us stronger than normal people, we have hidden potential that they don't. As you found out on your own, the technique you possess is such a potential that you were able to tap into. However, you also possess other hidden potentials. Many of which you are able to find and tap into with years of training."

"Years?" for some reason, Ino had yet to consider how long she would be in this world, even though something told her that now that she was in it, she couldn't leave even if she wanted to.

Sakura once more gave her a comforting smile, maybe having an idea of what was in her mind.

"Thankfully for you, we have managed to find a way that enables you to tap into most of your potential through the Activation Process. This way, you don't have to spend those years trying to find them on your own."

Ino felt slightly relieved, but still feeling like a fish out of water in this unfamiliar situation.

"What kind of potential are we talking about?" she asked.

"Well, the main goal of the Neohuman Project was to enhance abilities like speed, strength, stamina, and overall physical capabilities. The techniques that many of us possess were an unexpected result."

Ino nodded in understanding, wishing this was something that she just simply knew.

"And how does the Activation Process go?"

For the first time, Sakura lost the comforting doctor look, and Ino felt her stomach twist at what she was about to tell her.

"In truth, it is not a pleasant process at all. It takes several days, where you will be placed in the Activation Chamber. We will try to keep you asleep most of the time, but you will still feel its effects in your subconscious. After all, this is a forceful activation, not something that you ease yourself into. Typically, when we begin as NINJA operatives, we are given time to try and activate as much of our potential as we can until we are grown and are able to handle the effects of the process."

Ino wanted to complain, to yell at this girl that she shouldn't be expected to handle such a process that operatives prepared themselves for. She had only agreed to interrogate this Sasuke Uchiha guy, not to become a full-fledged operative.

Sakura must have seen the look on her face, because she sighed and leaned against the bedding next to her.

"Ino, I know that this whole thing came out of nowhere. I remember how I felt when I was told all of this too. But we are at war, and this is the sacrifice that we have to make to protect those that we care about, to end the war before too many innocent lives are lost as casualties. "

Ino's anger faltered, and she considered the very reason why she had agreed to help them in the first place. She wanted revenge, to avenge her father and destroy the Sound. How could she do it in her state? She knew nothing about fighting, nothing about this world where this war was taking place. Wouldn't going through the Activation Process be worth it if it meant that she could be closer to her goal? Wouldn't she have a better chance if she was capable of these inhuman abilities?

"The process doesn't have to be today Ino, you can take some time to prepare yourself. But like I said, time is of the essence. The more we wait, the longer the Sound has to try and get Sasuke back. And as much as I hate to admit it, it's not outside their powers to do it."

Ino nodded slowly and sighed in defeat. It seemed it really wasn't her choice after all, and all she could do was prepare herself for what she was about to do.

"When's the soonest I can do it?" she asked quietly, and didn't miss the look of surprise on Sakura's face.

"Uh, well, it takes a few hours to get everything ready, four at the most. Are you sure you don't want more time?" Sakura asked, slightly concerned.

Ino smiled as she turned to face the girl.

"Why postpone the inevitable? I don't think I'll ever be truly ready for this, but I know it's what I have to do."

Sakura smiled back at the blond woman, feeling some admiration for the way she was handling it.

"Spoken like a true NINJA operative."

Ino's smile faltered, and she sighed once more. She never dreamed to be a soldier, but now it looked like that was what she would become.

"Can I see Choji and Shikamaru first?" Ino asked, knowing now would be one of those times when she wanted them to hold her hand.

"Of course, they're probably still waiting outside."

Ino nodded, and the two girls walked towards the door that would take them outside. Just like she hoped, Shikamaru and Choji were still outside, leaning against the opposite wall of the hallway that was the medical wing.

The two men looked questionably at the girls, and Ino was glad when Sakura answered their silent question.

"I'll begin preparing the Activation Chamber right away."

The two men looked shocked as they turned their gaze to Ino.

"Are you sure about this Ino? You can wait until tomorrow, get a good night's sleep…" Choji told her in his concerned voice.

Ino tried to smile reassuringly at the two.

"Why bother? I hear I'll be sleeping most of the time anyway."

"Ino…" she frowned at the sound of Shikamaru's pleading voice. For some reason, it always unnerved her when he didn't sound sure about something, and second guessing this decision was the last thing she wanted to do.

"Listen Shikamaru, if I'm going to be brought into this world of yours, I don't have the luxury of taking my time. Not when there's a prisoner I have to interrogate, and certainly not when there's a war going on. My father gave his life for this cause, and I don't intend to let it be in vain if there's a chance I can help end it all."

At her words Choji's and Shikamaru's gazes lost their concern and hardened instead, knowing a motivated Ino when they saw it. Perhaps Ino had her priorities in order after all…

Seeing the situation calm down, Sakura once more addressed the trio.

"I'll let you know when the chamber is ready. It should be a few hours. Please make sure not to eat anything, only have liquids until then."

Ino nodded at her directions, and Sakura nodded at them before she walked down the hallway.

* * *

><p>It soon became obvious she wouldn't have been able to eat even if she wanted to. Her appetite was non-existent and even the water that Choji and Shikamaru encouraged her to drink tasted like sand in her mouth. She could only take small sips at a time, and even that didn't seem to go down easily.<p>

The two had taken her to the Rec room of the building, since it seemed even operatives needed some entertainment and place to wind down. The place was surprisingly warm, with soft couches and a TV in a corner, a pool table, dartboard, and other small sitting areas. Thankfully, there was no one there at the time, because Ino didn't really want to meet anyone new at that moment.

"You really amaze me Ino," Choji told her with an easy smile as he ate a chocolate bar.

"Why's that?" she asked distractedly as she kept her gaze fixed on a random point on the wall, feeling that just meeting his gaze would make her break down.

"Well, you're being incredibly brave about this. Already you sound like a soldier, and I'm sure you'll be a great one too," Ino tried to smile gratefully at her friend.

"I have to be brave, otherwise I won't be able to face a member of the enemy and get the information we need…"

The two nodded, knowing that facing Sasuke would not be an easy feat at all. Still, that was something that could wait a little longer. Right now, they had to focus on helping Ino as she rushed into something they knew was not pleasant at all. To this day neither tried to remember the day they had to go through the process, and neither liked the thought that Ino would have to go through it. Especially without prior training like they had been able to undergo.

"Listen Ino, no matter how fast you want to get this over with, it'll take some time after you get out of the Activation Chamber to fully recover. Promise me that you won't push yourself when that time comes."

At the sound of his voice, Ino felt the need to look at Shikamaru, and as she met his intense gaze, she knew this was a request she shouldn't deny. He had that protective look in his eye, the look that said if she didn't do it, he'd make her do it regardless, or at least make sure she regretted it. But she knew he meant well.

So she nodded and took another sip of water.

"What does it feel like? If it's not supposed to feel good, what does it feel like?"

Choji and Shikamaru shared a look, and Ino wondered what they were silently asking each other. In the end, it was Choji who answered.

"Well, I'm not sure if everyone feels it the same. But to me, it felt as if something was being ripped out of me, all over my body. It's like having a really bad cold with a bad fever, where you feel hot one second and cold the next."

Ino felt herself shiver at the description. She had never been particularly good at handling pain, and now she might have to go through the most painful experience she ever had.

"What about for you Shika?" Ino asked, hoping that maybe it would be different.

He stayed silent for a second, before sighing.

"Much the same to me, its like being burned one second, and then dunked into ice cold water the next, over and over again."

Ino nodded slowly.

"I need to use the bathroom," she said as she stood up, placing the water down.

Choji and Shikamaru shared another look.

"Okay, we'll take you."

Ino shook her head.

"No, it's okay. I saw it on our way here," she assured them as she began walking towards the door that would take her out of the room.

She sighed in relief once she was away from the two men. For some reason, she felt suffocated by the concern in her eyes. Did they not think she could handle what she was about to go through? Even to be truthful with herself, she wasn't sure she could handle it herself.

She wasn't even looking for a bathroom as she walked away from the room, too lost in her thoughts.

"Are you lost?" the familiar voice caught her attention and she looked up to see the familiar lavender eyes of Mr. Dead Face.

"No, I'm just… prepping myself," she answered truthfully.

"For?"

"The Activation Process," she said.

She was not pleased when even he looked surprised at her response.

"So soon?" he asked, and she nodded.

"Well, there's a prisoner to be interrogated, and if you guys haven't been able to break him, than I doubt I'll be able to do much myself, especially if I'm not at my strongest."

Neji nodded in understanding.

"May I offer some advice?"

Ino was surprised at his request, not expecting advice at something like this. All she was getting from Choji and Shikamaru was concern, and some encouragement, but neither had thought to give her some advice.

"Please do…" she replied.

"When you're in the chamber, focus on your goal. Don't think about the pain, think about the strength that you will have after it's over. Think of all the reasons why you're doing this."

Ino's body tensed as she absorbed his words, making them permanent in her mind. All she could do was stare at him after he spoke, and he stood there and let her.

"I'm sorry… about invading your mind. I have a bad habit of wanting to know what other people know," she replied with an easy smile.

"Here, that'll be a habit that can help us," he replied, choosing to ignore her apology, and not seeing the need for one. If anything, it was a good turn of events.

Ino sighed.

"Is that what you, _we_, are here? Tools?"

She didn't know what to think of that. She didn't want to feel like she was reduced to a weapon without a will, but what else could they be? She already felt like she had no say in the manner, not without being selfish at least.

"There are worse things than being a tool," he replied, answering her silent thoughts.

_Like being ignorant of your father's death, and your own life and abilities… _She thought to herself.

"I'm scared."

For some reason, she felt better confiding in this man than her own best friends. She felt as if he understood her better, because he wasn't concerned for her well-being, only the final goal that would come from it. With him, she didn't feel the need to reassure him, but saw him as a way to unburden herself.

He looked right at her then, his lavender-eyes staring right into her azure pair. She felt as he was gauging her then, looking for something that she could only guess at.

"You should be."

As he walked away, his stark words felt far more reassuring then the concern her own best friends had shown her.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, so here's the next installment. The more I think about what's coming in the next few chapters, that more I'm tempted to say forget Sasuke! I want Neji with Ino! Haha just kidding. It's still up to you guys who you'd like to see as the final pairing. So don't be shy and let me know what you think of this so far!<strong>


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